Connector



P. S. MADSEN May 16, 1950 CONNECTOR Filed April 3, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 P. s. MADSEN May 16, 1950 CONNECTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 3, 1946 Patented May 16, 1950 "STATE: MFFI CEE Y CONNECTOR I Paul. S. 'Madsen, Bethany, Conn, .assignor. toJEhe ..Scamlessiltizbheri.Company, New Haven; Conn,

a corporation of Connecticut ApplicationApril 3, 1946, Serial lsla'iliilhlilll i Claims. i

invention relates to bath scraybr like connectors, and more particularly tothose in :which thepbath sprayorlike device isgprov ided with a connector in the nature of a I faucet adapter inorcier that theappliance may beused successiullyin connectionWithfaucets of difierent shapesand sizes.

An object oftherinvention is to-provide a, simple, inexpensive. formcfcconnector by which the appliance can be connected to anyoneofaxlarge numberofdifferent' faucets.

Another object igtoprovide faucet adapter ieeting a large number of condition of use.

In accompanyingdrawings: Fig. 1 is aside elevation of a connectorern- T bodying the invention, illustrating. the same-as by a bathsprayhose of rubber;

Fig. 2 isa top plan View of thedevice of 1; Fig. 3 is a section on line il'3.of: Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional VlEW" showing the upper or auxiliary member removed;

the

' and l?- 11 sectional view of a modified form of 'lllZllil casing member.

In the device illustrated on the drawings, there is provided a casing adapted to beused es'a connector applicable to'faucets' of difierent'kinds and sizes, said casing being a flexible casing made of rubberftheterm rubber being usedin the. broad sense. Thiscasing is made of two" o'rincipal parts; one beingsv cup-like part connected at its lower portion, asillustrated in Figs. l-and 3,

to a'flexible' nose or tube, such as commonlyoced in connection-with abath spray or-like appliance. The casing part referred to is open at the topand contains v-Jithin its upper portion-a secondgoart adapted-to engagea faucet, the second part in this particularinstance being supplied exteriorly with a flexible fiange bymeans of w-hich" it detachably engaged with held within-the first casing. part. The secondlcasing part has a funnel likeupper portion and a lowersleeve-like portion: adapted-to :engageathe; side 3 surface of a faucet, the? sleeve-like portionzprojecting down- 'wardly into a chamber wi-thiwhich the first part is provided. The first paramoreover, isprovided in a location below-the slee e-like portion with a passage leading to thefiexible ,hose-andvadapted to serve asa retarder; or pressure-creating(means in the use of the'dev ice, as lwillhereinatteribe more particularly described.

In the drawings; the first casingv part referred to above is -illustrated-at-l5,.the same-.beingsecared to theend portion .of -,airubber ,hose N5.

he seconrl casingpartnwhichlis the uppers-0r auxiliary part, is showniat, l'l theisame hava lateral flange-l8-rbyi-whichit is detachably held in part 5-5. The sleeve likeeportion;of l? is indicated at-l9,-the-same, projecting downwardly into achamber 2lli-ofa-part lfi. In

e lower portionof part1 l5 and in line withithe leeve-lilre poi ion il'is-the retarding-massage l in communication with @a-ierrule (22leading into the hose l5. The part Wasp-illustrated has an open upper end'which flares from the sleeve 'portionlfi tothis end, as shownin Fi .8.

Referring now to the=detai-ls-,'it=vvill:beseen that the main casing part I5 made- 0f flexible vulcanized' rubberis characterizedvby a'cyl-indrical projection 23- at the lowerpart-with which is integral a generally conical .portion .24 in'-which chamber 2G is provided, "and that intergral with portion 265 is a mouth portion zii. T-he rnouth portion '25 ha an a external '7 cylindrical surface 2 5, and in the mouth'portion is: agenerally conical upwardly; flaring recess. 27- leading to the upper :end of the part "I 5. :Above the cylindrical suri-ace there is provided "a lateral: flan e 23 0f t iangular section wherebyiitheijflexible wallof the article is somewhat thickened adjacent the upper end of the recess 2?.

The recess il' lea ds downwardlytothe chamber and provides a 1 round aperture 'of less diameter than the upper'zpart of the chamber fill-so that therenis'zthus :providedan:overhanging portion or shoulder 'llfi thattprovidesnan upper wall for the chamberand which acts" asa holding shoulder in connection with the flange 18 above mentioned. .Byreference =t0-Figr l it "will be seen that immediately above :the chamber v2i] the wall of the casingis ,quite thick-and that from this region the thickness --decreases-progressiveiy in. an upwardwd-irection substantially to the mouth of the flaring recessz'l. Phe por tion 2 30f the casing being substantially conical,

:the ceiling provided; for the chamber zil in this portion is of substantially greater'diameterthan the floor portion se ofv this chamber.

From the floor of the chamber the-retardin passage 2| extends downwardly. This passage may, as shown, have a cylindrical inner surface 3i upon which are provided a number of trai verse ribs 32 projecting inwardly. The inner surface of chamber 2! being cylindrical, and the outer surface of the casing in this region being conical, the thickness of the casing wall from the floor of the chamber 23 substantially to the downward projection 23 diminishes progressively in a downward direction. The ferrule 22 mentioned above may be made of a suitable metal, and it may serve as a liner for the projection or sleeve portion 23, and the ferrule may have a flange 33 at its upper part overlying the floor of the retarding passage 2|.

The sleeve portion 23 is inserted in the rubber hose l6, and the hose is fixed on the sleeve portion in a suitable manner as by cementing.

In the modified form shown in Fig. 11, the downwardly projecting sleeve portion and the ferrule are omitted, and the hose is extended into the body of the part and secured therein. In the form of Fig. 11, the part i 5 is provided at the lower end with an opening 34 into which the upper end of the hose I6 is extended. In this case there is a small chamber 35 below the retarding passage 2! and the hose l5 has an integral elastic end flange 36 disposed in this chamber in a manner to attach the hose to the casing part. Usually the hose of the type shown in Fig. 11, if used, is cemented in place in the apertured flexible lower end portion of the casing.

Referring now to the form of the upper or auxiliary part I'!, it will be noted that this part is in general of conical formation, although in this embodiment there is an upper end portion 3! having a cylindrical outer surface, said portion when the two parts of the casing are assembled extending upwardly from the lower part, as shown in Fig. 3. Below the portion El the outer surface of part i! in a location above the flange i8 is conical, as indicated at 38, and the external surface below the flange is conical, as indicated at 33, this surface 39 being formed upon the sleeve portion !9 previously mentioned. The inner surface of the sleeve portion i9 is cylindrical, as indicated at 40, and this cylindrical surface 49 preferably extends approximately to the level of the upper surface of the flange l8. Above the sleeve portion is the inner surface of this casing part is conical, as indicated at GI, and within the upward extension of this casing part the inner surface is conical, as indicated at 42, although here the inclination of the surface 42 to the vertical is less than the inclination of surface 4|. At the upper or rim portion of the extension above mentioned, the casing is provided with an inwardly extending flange 43 which is preferably rounded over at its inner surface. By providing this flange 43, a good grip on the upward extension of part I! can be obtained in order to facilitate the removal of this part from the main casing part.

It will be understood that the main casing part and the auxiliary part are resilient and flexible, and that the main casing part can be opened up or stretched to receive the auxiliary part and to disengage the auxiliary part when the latter is pulled out of the main part. When the members are in the relation. shown in Fig. 3 the auxiliary part is under some compression. by reason of the surrounding elastic part, and the auxiliary part is effectively held against accidental dislocation. In this position, the surface 38 of the auxiliary part substantially conforms to the surface 21 of the main part.

With reference to the wall of the auxiliary part ll, it is noted that in the sleeve portion 19 the thickness decreases progressively in a downward direction, as shown in Fig. 5. Above the sleeve portion there is, in this particular form, no great variation in the thickness of the wall up to the upper extremity. The flange I8 is substantially at the upper end of the Sleeve portion, and above this is the substantially conical body, and above the conical body the substantially cylindrical upward extension.

The appliance described can be used with a large number of faucets differing in shape or size, or in both shape and size. It is impossible to illustrate all of the various faucets, but some examples are shown in the drawings.

In Figs. 6 and '7 there is illustrated, by way of example, a faucet 44 having a downturned free end portion 45 of round cross section. In using the appliance with such a faucet, the two parts of the adapter assembly are used, the adapter being placed over the faucet end in a relation such as shown in Fig. 6, with the extremity of the faucet engaged in the sleeve portion l 9. This expands the sleeve portion and causes its inner surface to be tightly engaged with the side surface of the faucet. The end of the faucet may project downwardly to the extent shown in Fig. 6, but this is by way of example only. The curved portion of the faucet between the lateral portion and the extremity is, as shown, received in part within the cylindrical extension of the auxiliary member. When the faucet is turned on, water passes downwardly to chamber 20 and then to the retarding passage 2| or 2|. A back pressure is thus built up in chamber 26, as shown by the arrows in Fig. 7, with the result that the sleeve portion is tightly forced against the faucet so as to provide a leak-proof joint around the faucet end. There is no leakage of water out of the upper end of chamber 20 because the water pressure holds the flange IS in tight contact with the overlying portion of part IE or I5.

In Fig. 8, I have shown the use of the adapter with a faucet 48 having a body of elliptical cross section and provided with a relatively short extremity il set at an angle so as to have a certain inclination. It will be seen from Fig. 8 how the upper cuplike part of the assembly accommodates itself to the faucet, and this is true also of the lower cuplike part which, in this instance, is somewhat deformed. Fig. 9 illustrates how the adapter conforms to the elliptical extremity of the faucet. The sleeve portion l9 conforms to the outer surface of the faucet extremity, and the action in excluding water from the upper part of the adapter is substantially the same as in the case previously described.

In Fig. 10, there is shown a faucet 48 having a downturned spout which, as customary in many faucets, is provided with a flange and below the flange with external screw threads. In using the adapter with such a faucet, the auxiliary part is removed and the main casing part l5 or l5 forced over the spout. This operation is facilitated by the form of the mouth portion of the casing having its flaring inner recess and having a rim which can be stretched to a considerable degree. When the adapter is in place, the threaded extremity of the faucet is received in the chamber 20 with the flange of the faucet engaged with the overhanging shoulder portion of the casing, in the manner shown in Fig. 10. It will also be noted that the faucet extremity is in substantial contact with the floor of the chamber 20 so that water issuing from the faucet is discharged directly into the passage 2| or 2|.

As indicated above, the adapter is applicable to various other faucets. In some cases it may be expedient to force the faucet extremity downwardly into snug engagement with the passage 2| or 2|. This may be done when the auxiliary part is used in the assembly or it may be done when the auxiliary part is omitted. Such faucet naturally will be of a diameter such that it will enter the passage, and the beads or ribs n the surface of the passage will aid in gripping the faucet.

It will be seen that the invention provides a simple, adapter that meets many different conditions, and, therefore, has a large scope and application, and that the article is effective in providing against leakage of water from the spout. The

adapter is, moreover, very readily applicable to the faucet and removable therefrom. The adapter can be used with faucet ends that are beaded and also with faucets having smooth plain ends.

Various modifications and changes in the details may be made without departing from the principles of the invention or the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a device such as described, the combination of a flexible resilient casing made up of two principal members, of which one is a main chambered member and the other a detachable auxiliary member located in the upper part of the first member and engageable with a spout of a faucet, said first member being a generally conical member attached at the smaller end to a hose, said first member having a generally conical chamber intermediate of its ends surrounded by an upper overhanging wall portion and having a retarding passage between said chamber and the hose connection, and said member also having an upper flaring mouth or recess the wall of which decreases in thickness toward the rim, the second member having a lateral shoulder between the ends of said member adapted to be engaged and held in the upper part of said chamber and also having a sleeve portion of decreasin wall thickness in a downward direction disposed in said chamber, said second member also having a funnel-shaped mouth portion within the first-mentioned flaring mouth or recess extending above the upper end of the first member.

2. An adapter such as described, comprising a generally cup-shaped elastic distendible main casing part having an upper flaring mouth portion and immediately below the mouth portion a chamber of generally conical shape with the larger diameter at the top, said chamber forming with the mouth portion a shoulder having a sloping inner surface and a fiat lower surface, and an auxiliary generally cup-like elastic distendible casing part having an outstanding aninexpensive and serviceable faucet nular flange intermediate its ends, said flange being engaged under said shoulder and the said auxiliary part having a sleeve diminishing in wall thickness in a downward direction disposed within said chamber, said auxiliary part being held under compression within the distended main casing part.

3. An adapter such as described, comprising a generally cup-shaped elastic distendible main casing part having an upper flaring mouth portion and immediately below the mouth portion a chamber of generally conical shape with the larger diameter at the top, said chamber forming with the mouth portion a shoulder having a sloping inner surface and a flat lower surface, and an auxiliary generally cup-like elastic distendible casing part having an outstanding annular flange intermediate its ends, said flange being engaged under said shoulder and the said auxiliary part having a sleeve diminishing in wall thickness in a downward direction disposed within said chamber, said auxiliar part being held under compression within the distended main casing part, said main casing part having at the lower end a discharge passage and between the discharge passage and said chamber a generally cylindrical passage of intermediate diameter into which a faucet end can be inserted, said last-named passage having on its surface a plurality of annular ribs projecting in an inward direction.

4. In a faucet adapter, a generally cup-shaped elastic distendible casing part having a, flaring mouth portion at the top and a, discharge passage at the lower end, the mouth portion having an upwardly and outwardly sloped inner surface, the wall surrounding said flaring mouth portion decreasing in thickness toward the rim, said casin part being provided immediately below the mouth portion with a communicating chamber of greater diameter than the lower end of the mouth portion whose side wall slopes upwardly and outwardly to a point where it terminates in substantial horizontal alignment with the extreme lower end of the flaring mouth portion, whereby said chamber forms with the mouth portion a shoulder having an inclined upper surface and a, flat lower surface, said part having between and in communication with said chamber and said discharge passage a passage of intermediate diameter provided with a cylindri- :cal inner surface on which are inwardly extended transverse ribs, said passage of intermediate diameter being adapted to receive the end of a faucet.

PAUL S. MADSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,000,414 Kintner Aug. 15, 1911 1,110,950 Niewiardowski Sept. 15, 1914 1,180,733 Mulherin Apr. 25, 1916 2,304,114 Moore Dec. 8, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 350,069 Germany Mar. 13, 1922 407,501 Great Britain Mar. 22, 1934 442,461 Great Britain Feb. 10, 1936 

